Application Cases

【Overview】
In this study, the Aigtek ATG-2000 series power signal source was used to build a guided wave experimental system for water-filled pipelines. With the advancement of industrialization and the growth of energy demand, oil and gas pipeline construction in China has entered a stage of high-quality development. However, issues such as pipeline aging, corrosion, and external interference have led to frequent leakage accidents, posing prominent safety risks. Therefore, regular inspection and maintenance are crucial for ensuring pipeline safety. In-line inspection is a key method for identifying pipeline defects, but traditional inspection tools are prone to becoming stuck, limiting their application scenarios. At the same time, tracing and localization technology is of great significance for auxiliary defect localization and handling extreme working conditions. If the position and arrival time of the in-line inspection tool cannot be accurately determined, secondary problems such as equipment loss may arise.

Experiment Name: Verification Experiment of Pipeline Ultrasonic Guided Wave Tracing and Localization Method

Experiment Principle:
This study is based on the acoustic-solid coupling guided wave theory, targeting the water-filled pipeline environment. Ultrasonic guided waves are used as the localization signal carrier. The ultrasonic pulse emitted by the in-line inspection tool couples with the elastic waves in the pipe wall and the acoustic waves in the fluid inside the pipe, forming guided waves with dispersion characteristics and multimodal distributions that propagate over long distances along the pipe wall. The phase velocity and group velocity of the guided waves are determined by the pipe material, wall thickness, and excitation frequency. By capturing the propagation time and velocity characteristics of the first-arrival guided wave signal, a physical foundation is established for subsequent high-precision distance calculation and position localization.

Experimental Block Diagram:

Experimental Setup Photos:

Experimental Procedure:
First, a DN200 water-filled pipeline test bench was constructed, comprising a testing platform with an excitation transmitter, a receiving sensor array, and a data acquisition system. A hydroacoustic transducer was used to simulate the sound source of a spherical in-line inspection tool, transmitting ultrasonic excitation signals into the water-filled pipeline within the 20–80 kHz frequency range to test the propagation energy and attenuation characteristics of guided waves at different excitation frequencies. During the experiment, the receiving point position was fixed while the transmitter distance was varied. High-speed acquisition equipment recorded the time-domain signals received by sensors on the outer wall of the pipeline. Combined with guided wave velocity parameters, the actual distance between the transmitter and the monitoring point was calculated. Finally, the theoretical calculated values were compared with the measured distance data to verify the propagation stability and localization accuracy of the ultrasonic guided wave localization method in the water-filled pipeline environment, providing data support for practical engineering applications.

Application Fields:
In-line pipeline inspection, spherical in-line inspection tools, ultrasonic guided waves, active acoustic localization, oil and gas pipelines, leak detection, pipeline health monitoring, tracing and localization, liquid-filled pipelines, nondestructive testing

Application Scenarios:
Spherical in-line inspection tools, pipeline inspection tools, acoustic localization, ultrasonic guided wave localization, active acoustic tracing, pipeline robot localization, guided waves in liquid-filled pipelines, TOA (Time of Arrival) localization, pipeline inspection tracking

Advantages of Aigtek Amplifiers in This Application:

1. Wide bandwidth coverage – Accurately reproduces swept-frequency excitation, ensuring the fidelity of guided wave dispersion characteristic testing.

2. High voltage output – Overcomes the significant attenuation in water-filled pipelines, ensuring long-distance guided wave propagation and localization accuracy.

3. Integrated design of signal source and amplifier – Simplifies the system chain and supports multi-distance testing experiments.

Recommended Product: ATA-2000 Series High-Voltage Amplifier

Figure: Specifications of the ATA-2000 Series High-Voltage Amplifier

The experimental materials in this article are compiled and released by Xi'an Aigtek Electronics.